


Abstract ideas

by JessX2231



Series: Nothing could be better than love [3]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Feelings, Fluff, Marriage, Plans For The Future, Post 5x05, Weddings, marriage talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 08:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18913042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessX2231/pseuds/JessX2231
Summary: "Besides throwing a party, is this...something you’ve wanted before?” He swallowed, knowing his phrasing was dodging the root of their conversation. He figured if he couldn’t even say the word, then why even discuss it? So he added, a little cautiously, “Marriage?”David and Patrick talk about marriage. Set between 5x05 and 5x06.





	Abstract ideas

“ _ Holy shit _ , no way!”

Patrick was on the couch with a book, always ready for the day at least an hour before David even woke up. Even on the weekends. Although he was still wearing sweatpants and an old college shirt, he felt productive, having already started a load of laundry and answered some emails. Meanwhile, David was lounging in Patrick’s bed, scrolling through his phone and humming along to the music Patrick played through the speakers once he was sure David was awake. It was so rare that the two got to spend the morning together without the rush of getting ready for work or running errands. Patrick could barely contain his delight in the domesticity of it all. It was only the second Sunday he’d been in his new apartment and was thrilled by how quickly David had helped him make it feel like a home. 

“What’s that?” Patrick said in response to David’s exclamation.

“Someone I know just got engaged.” David turned his phone to show Patrick, as if he could really see the photo from across the room. But he got the idea - it was a close up of a pretty sizable diamond ring. 

Patrick exhaled an impressed whistle. “That’s some rock.”

“Honestly, I’m less surprised about the ring and more about the fact she’s getting  _ married _ . I never would have guessed.”

“How do you know this person?” Patrick asked. He closed his book and walked into the kitchen to take the now whistling tea kettle off the stove. 

“College,” David said, his voice unfocused as he continued fumbling around on his phone. 

“Why didn’t you think she’d get married?” 

“Hang on,” David said. “I’m doing research.”

Patrick chuckled as he poured himself a cup of tea. “You mean Instagram stalking her fiance?” he asked over his shoulder. 

“Mhm,” David hummed in confirmation. 

Patrick joined David back in bed, not necessarily invested in David’s discoveries but always happy to learn about his boyfriend’s past. David had no trouble describing the ridiculously lavish parties he used to attend, or the celebrity encounters that left lasting impressions. But he was less likely to offer details about the quieter, more private parts of his life before Schitt’s Creek; school and relationships were seldom discussed. At least, not unless Patrick prompted. 

“Wow. Alexis is not going to believe this.” David took a screenshot of his Instagram feed and texted his sister. Patrick was still lost. 

“I’m not sure I understand the shock,” Patrick reiterated. 

“Right,” David said. He finally looked up from his phone and ran a hand through his sleep rumpled hair. An automatic warmth spread throughout Patrick’s body at the sight. There were moments he still couldn’t believe all of this with David was real. Waking up with him in his bed, in their own space, and absolutely no threat of interruption wasn’t something Patrick imagined he’d get used to any time soon. 

“So it’s kind of a long story.” David sat up properly and shifted closer to Patrick. He covered Patrick’s hands that were holding his mug of tea and guided it closer to his face. He blew on it with caution before taking a small sip and then making a face. “God, how do you drink that without any sugar?” he complained.

“Maybe that’s how I make sure my boyfriend won’t drink it.” 

“ _ Anyway _ .” David rolled his eyes and continued. “Without getting into too much of the particulars, this girl was a huge name in the modeling world, especially for features in wedding apparel. She posed in gowns for designers and modeled engagement rings for jewelers and had that all locked down from the time she was like, 19 years old.”

“So you’re saying she got sick of the marriage stuff early on?” Patrick guessed.

David nodded vigorously. “ _ Hated _ the idea of getting married. Like, to the point that when she was dating my roommate at the time - that’s how I got to know her - I’d get earfulls if I so much as shared a picture on Facebook from someone’s wedding.”

While he didn’t necessarily grow up in a small town, the people Patrick grew up with were totally on board with tradition. Which wasn’t to say they worshiped the sanctity of marriage in the framework of outrageous religious followings, but in thinking about it, Patrick wasn’t sure he’d ever met anyone who didn’t want to get married. Or at least, everyone he knew seemed to regard their future with the expectation of marriage at some point, even if it was in the most vague sense. 

It wasn’t until Patrick moved to Schitt’s Creek that he started second guessing all of those traditions. Leaving Rachel had changed so much about Patrick’s perspective on the future, and at times it was hard to balance his new outlook with the old path he had explored for over thirty years. But with the new life he was creating for himself, with the store and with David, he was steadily reconstructing his world of possibilities. His expectations were certainly different than before, but somehow still familiar. He didn’t really know what to make of that.

“Plus,” David added, knocking Patrick out of his thoughts, “before dating Ricky, her reputation was kind of...noncommittal. She always had guys in rotation. Which, I mean, no judgment or anything, obviously. Lord knows they’d say the same things about me.” 

Patrick cocked his head to the side and merely raised an eyebrow. 

To which David replied, “I feel like this shouldn’t surprise you anymore.” 

Patrick shook his head and laughed. “No, no, you’re right. It’s just…” Patrick’s mind finished with  _ I can’t believe how lucky I am to have this with you _ . But he wasn’t going to say that out loud. Instead, he just took a sip of his tea before placing it on the bedside table. “Nothing. Please, carry on.”

David offered him a playful side eye and continued. “So between her job and not wanting to be tied down to anyone, she never wasted an opportunity to remind people that marriage wasn’t in her future. And when she and Ricky’s relationship lasted longer six months, she kind of flipped. I remember Ricky suggesting she meet his brother - not even his parents, his  _ brother _ \- and she turned it into a huge thing. They broke up a week later.”

“Wow,” Patrick supplied. “That’s, uh...yeah, I can definitely understand your surprise.”

“Exactly.”

Patrick could now see that David was scrolling through an Instagram page full of wedding scenery. Something about that tugged at the emotions in his chest, but he willed himself not to give it too much attention.

Then David asked, “How long were you and Rachel engaged?”

Patrick was relieved that Rachel’s name was no longer a point of tension between the two of them. What had once caused stress and uncertainty at the mere mention of Patrick’s past was now a simple fact they could discuss like the weather. 

The comparison may have seemed flippant to some, but David’s relationship with a day that was too hot or too cold would suggest differently. 

“Two months,” Patrick replied. 

“So you hadn’t really started any wedding planning yet?” 

Patrick shook his head. “Not really.”

“That’s a shame.” David sunk back into bed, nose in his phone again. Patrick had a feeling he was only partially paying attention to where the conversation had led. 

“Is it?” he asked, his head tilted in mock confusion, the slightest smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. 

David looked up and rolled his eyes at Patrick’s expression. “Not what I meant,” he said. “I just have so many wedding ideas, I’d jump at the chance bring them to life. Forget the fact that Pinterest has completely fucked with the delicate process of wedding planning. One time I went to a wedding where the bride must have searched ‘popular Pinterest weddings’ and took something from five different themes and put them together. There were cowboy boots and messages in bottles and  _ purple  _ bridesmaids dresses. Can you imagine?”

Patrick just listened as words effortlessly continued to spill from David’s lips.

“No one has the initiative or patience to plan for themselves. Or to at least hire someone with good taste.” He scrolled some more. “See? Look.” He turned his phone to face Patrick. It was a bright hall filled with tables, each one decorated with bouquets of white roses in rectangular glass centerpieces. There were candles in lanterns accented with thin gold twine, and a cake with layers of alternating navy and white stripes and gold detailing. “Simple and clean with a touch of flair. Kind of like the store, you know? That’s what I would want.”

Patrick’s heart swelled at David’s words. He could only imagine that there were few people who David trusted with these opinions, no matter how innocent his intentions.

And knowing that David hadn’t fully processed the implications of his words gave Patrick even more of a reason to let things play out for his enjoyment.

Patrick scooted closer to David on the bed, draping his arm on the pillow behind him, and easily teased, “So who’s the lucky guy?” 

David seemed to snap out of his Instagram trance long enough to catch up with the trail of their conversation so far. Patrick watched recognition flash across David’s face for a split second before he quickly settled into a more neutral composure. But not before a small smile played on his lips.

“Okay,” David said with his signature irritated lilt. “Don’t.”

“Did my save the date get lost in the mail?”

“Patrick,” he warned, shooting a look in Patrick’s direction before pretending to be engrossed in his phone again. 

Patrick’s covered David’s phone screen with his hand, fully grinning now. “You  _ are  _ starting that vet clinic with Ted, aren’t you?”

David climbed up to fully sit beside Patrick and brought a finger to his lips. “Shhh.” His face was mere inches from Patrick’s, his pointer finger the only thing between them. “That’s enough from you,” David said quietly before moving his finger out of the way to capture Patrick’s lips in a full kiss. 

Patrick only responded for a moment, then pulled back just enough to say, “You can’t distract me.”

David smiled, their lips still brushing, and slid his hand up Patrick’s thigh. “Wanna bet?”

“David,” Patrick supplied, his hands gently framing David’s face and holding him a few inches away. “Relax. I just didn’t know that you had ideas.”

David dropped his head onto Patrick’s chest, sighing in defeat. “Fine,” he said in a tight voice. He lifted his head and his eyes remained squeezed shut for any extra second. “Just abstract ideas.”

“Sure,” Patrick said with a straight face.

“I was never imagining, like,  _ my  _ wedding.”

“Right.”

“But I’ve been to enough of these over the top events to start imagining how I’d do it differently, you know?”

Patrick couldn’t help the smile that was slowly spreading across his face. 

“Don’t look so  _ smug _ ,” David insisted. 

Patrick laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Sure,” David said with yet another signature eye roll. 

“Hey,” Patrick said gently. David’s eyes met his with matched sincerity. There was a well-practiced ease with which the two of them could navigate the conversations that started out teasing and then turned a corner to slightly more serious. It took a lot of trust and understanding to get to that point, but once they did, Patrick knew it was an aspect of their relationship that he would always cherish. 

Patrick offered a small smile, waiting to read David’s response before continuing. Thankfully, he was met with a similar smile in return. Patrick took the opportunity to close the distance between the two of them. He anchored himself with a hand cradling David’s jaw, his thumb stroking along the stubble on his chin. Patrick could feel David relax instantly. He would never get tired of the way his boyfriend reacted to something as simple as a kiss. It made Patrick feel significant in a way he hadn’t experienced before David. Like his presence was worth more than the means to fill an empty space. Rather, it was rhythmic; steady in a way that didn’t need to be forced. Still treated with care - from both sides - but not in a way that was constantly on the brink of failure. It worked.

Before their kiss got too heated, Patrick pulled away and asked carefully, “Besides throwing a party, is this...something you’ve wanted before?” He swallowed, knowing his phrasing was dodging the root of their conversation. He figured if he couldn’t even say the word, then why even discuss it? So he added, a little cautiously, “Marriage?”

Patrick watched David compose himself, a concentrated breath leaving his nose, his lips pressed together, and his eyes closing for just a moment. Patrick didn’t want him to feel pressured to talk about it, but if he knew anything about David Rose, it was his lack of a filter. If he didn’t want to have this conversation, he would have said so. Patrick trusted that.

“Well,” David began. He cleared his throat. “Like I said, these have always been abstract ideas. And that included, you know, the actually getting married part.” His brow furrowed a little before continuing; another tell of David’s that it wasn’t the easiest conversation, but he was making an effort. “I guess I’ve always liked the idea, if the right person came along.”

Patrick nodded and patiently waited for David to continue.

“It was hard to wrap my head around it; wanting and willing to be with the same person forever. Them wanting  _ me  _ for that long.” David shook his head. “But there was never a person before.” 

_ Before _ . Patrick didn’t want to get too ahead of himself, but his heart caught the past tense. 

David reached for Patrick’s hand. The corner of his mouth lifted and he said, “It’s nice to finally let myself think about it.”

Patrick was positively floating, and was grateful for David’s hand keeping him anchored to the ground.

“What about you?” David asked. His free hand came up to rest on Patrick’s chest, fingers toying with the worn neck of his t-shirt. “After everything with Rachel, did you completely change your mind about marriage?”

Patrick wrapped his arms around David’s shoulders, holding him close. “No.” He kissed David’s temple while he leaned back and settled them both against the pillows. They were quiet for a moment, but neither rushed to break the silence. Patrick’s hands connected over David’s shoulder, his thumbs tapping together. He huffed a small laugh and said, “I don’t want to freak you out.” 

David shifted and put his finger under Patrick’s chin, lifting his face to meet his eyes. It was such a tender moment, one Patrick knew was rare and special. Not because David wasn’t sweet to him, but because of the entire conversation; the expectation that his boyfriend would recoil at the very mention of their long term commitment, and instead being met with encouragement.

“Try me, babe,” David whispered back. 

Patrick leaned down to press another soft kiss to David’s lips, needing the connection, the little push forward. He loved that he could always count on that.

“Marriage used to be this thing that was just, expected, you know? You’re with someone for long enough, it just made sense to get married.” Patrick sighed heavily and rubbed his face. “But obviously that didn’t work out. And now it’s…”

The truth was, getting married was no longer a lingering pressure, but rather something he could look forward to. Something that existed as a means to unlock a future of possibilities. Something he could imagine for himself...if the right person came along. Just as David had said. 

Marriage wasn’t just a door to an unknown anymore. He knew that was certainly part of it, but it wasn’t the scary type of unknown, when you’d open each door with caution, worried and defensive. It was the type that made you want to open every consequential door with excitement to reveal what could be waiting on the other side. 

“It’s different now.” Patrick tucked his face into David’s neck, his lips easily finding the spot just below his ear that seemed to be meant just for him. His fingernails delicately scraped up and down David’s arm, raising goosebumps. His voice was soft when he said, “It’s very easy to imagine a future with you, David.”

Patrick thought maybe he heard David’s breath catch just slightly, but he couldn’t be sure. There was too much racing around in his brain to fully process everything. 

Then, David turned his head and captured Patrick’s lips in a kiss so full and passionate, he could feel it all the way down to his toes. 

He could kiss this man for the rest of his life.

He wasn’t going to go out and buy a ring right away, but there was something so invigorating about knowing they were both on the same page. He wanted David to be it for him. He loved the freedom of imagining that future; the store continuing to thrive, the thrill of him and David growing together, supporting one another through moments of both success and failure. An apartment with both their names on the lease, and a closet big enough for all of David’s clothes. Vacations. Christmas and Hanukkah every winter. A wedding. He wanted it all. 

Patrick easily shifted on top of David, slipped off his shirt, and leaned back in for another kiss. He licked into his mouth, tasting just briefly before pulling away and running his lips along David’s stubble.

“Patrick,” David breathed. He felt David’s hands drop below his waist, grabbing his ass and pulling him closer. “God, I am so fucking in love with you.”

“Mmm,” Patrick hummed into his jaw, his lips curving into a smile. “Good.” Patrick grabbed David’s t-shirt and pushed it up, allowing him to press a kiss to the middle of his chest, his lips traveling lower until he reached just above the waistband of his pants. Patrick nipped at the skin and soothed it with his lips and tongue. “Because I have plans.”

**Author's Note:**

> I should really be working on my fic exchange piece but OOPS I finally got into a groove with this one so had to ride it out. this was the FIRST THING i thought of after watching "the hike" so it's been living in my head for a while and i'm excited to finally share it!!! thanks for reading :)


End file.
